Successful removal of side branch-jailed stent struts by reused balloon

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The association between the reduction of body weight and new-onset type 2 diabetes remission in middle-aged Japanese men: Population-based Panasonic cohort study 8

AimThis study aimed to investigate the association between change in body weight (BW) and type 2 diabetes remission in Japanese men with new-onset type 2 diabetes.MethodsThis study enrolled 1,903 patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes between 2008 and 2013 from a medical health checkup program conducted by the Panasonic Corporation, Osaka, Japan. The baseline was defined as the year of new-onset diabetes. We assessed the type 2 diabetes remission five years after baseline and the association between the change in BW and type 2 diabetes remission using logistic regression analyses. To evaluate the predictive performance of the change in BW, we employed the receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC).ResultsThe BW loss was associated with type 2 diabetes remission in the participants with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 but not in the participants with a BMI <25 kg/m2. The odds ratios were 1.96 (95% CI: 1.19–3.29) and 3.72 (95% CI: 2.14–6.59) in the participants with a loss of 5–9.9% and loss of ≥10% for five years, respectively, in the participants with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (reference; stable group [0.9% gain to 0.9% loss]). The AUC and cut-off values for the rate of change in BW for type 2 diabetes remission were 0.59 and 5.0%.DiscussionBody weight loss of ≥5% effectively achieved diabetes remission in Japanese men with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 and new-onset type 2 diabetes

Efficiency of Peptide Nucleic Acid-Directed PCR Clamping and Its Application in the Investigation of Natural Diets of the Japanese Eel Leptocephali

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-clamping using blocking primer and DNA-analogs, such as peptide nucleotide acid (PNA), may be used to selectively amplify target DNA for molecular diet analysis. We investigated PCR-clamping efficiency by studying PNA position and mismatch with complementary DNA by designing PNAs at five different positions on the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica in association with intra-specific nucleotide substitutions. All five PNAs were observed to efficiently inhibit amplification of a fully complementary DNA template. One mismatch between PNA and template DNA inhibited amplification of the template DNA, while two or more mismatches did not. DNA samples extracted from dorsal muscle and intestine of eight wild-caught leptochephalus larvae were subjected to this analysis, followed by cloning, nucleotide sequence analysis, and database homology search. Among 12 sequence types obtained from the intestine sample, six were identified as fungi. No sequence similarities were found in the database for the remaining six types, which were not related to one another. These results, in conjunction with our laboratory observations on larval feeding, suggest that eel leptocephali may not be dependent upon living plankton for their food source

Controlled reproduction in the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica), past and present

The Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica, is one of the most important species of the aquaculture industry of East Asia. Supply of glass eels for aquaculture is completely dependent on wild catch. However, glass-eel catches in Japan declined linearly from over 200 tons in the early 1960s to 20 tons at present. In recent years an unstable situation has occurred with glass-eel catches not meeting the demand of aquaculture farms. In order to address this rapid decline, a challenging research project for artificial production of glass eels was commenced in the late 1960s. Since then, through a continuing process of trial and error, the production of second-generation larvae was finally achieved in 2010. Throughout the research, a new application of several substances has caused breakthroughs in artificial induction of sexual maturation and larvae rearing. This article reports on a study of controlled eel reproduction focusing on the finding of substances that accelerated progress. In addition, guideline research on eel reproduction in the wild was conducted aiming at overcoming current bottlenecks that impeded the establishment of largescale glass-eel production in captivity, by investigating maturing eels and eggs collected in their spawning area in the vicinity of the West Mariana Ridge

Histological characteristics of the oocyte chorion in wild post-spawning and artificially matured Japanese eels Anguilla japonica

To describe the histological characteristics of the oocyte chorion in wild adult and artificially matured Japanese eels, we investigated changes in chorion thickness during artificially induced oogenesis and compared the chorion thickness and ultrastructure between wild and artificially matured eels. In artificially maturing eels, the chorion thickness and volume increased significantly with increasing follicle diameter, peaking at approximately 450 A mu m; beyond this point, the chorion thinned significantly, whereas there were no significant changes in volume. A significant positive correlation was observed between the number of salmon pituitary extract (SPE) injections and chorion thickness. In wild post-spawning adult eels, chorion thickness varied among individuals, and two had chorions that were significantly thinner than those of artificially matured eels. Ultrastructural examination revealed electron-dense layers in the chorions of wild post-spawning adult eels, as was seen in artificially matured eels. This result is inconsistent with our hypothesis that the formation of an electron-dense layer is unique to artificially maturing eels due to repeated SPE injections. These results suggest that the formation cycle of the chorion might be affected by SPE injections in artificially maturing eels, whereas that of wild eels might be synchronized with behavioral and/or environmental fluctuations that occur during the oceanic spawning migration